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Dodgers pick Clayton Kershaw as Opening Day starter vs. Padres

The Los Angeles Dodgers have appointed ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw to be its starter against the San Diego Padres on Opening Day, team manager Dave Roberts confirmed on Monday.

Kershaw, who will be making his sixth consecutive start on opening day for the Dodgers, looks to bounce back from a subpar season, by his own standard, as he went 16-7 last season with a 2.13 ERA. However, he managed to put his name on history books after becoming the first pitcher to collect 300 strikeouts since 2002 season.

Picking the three-time CY Young winner as the opening day starter is a no-brainer for many analysts, but Robbert jested that it was a close call to make.

“That was a tough one,” Roberts kidded Sunday via ESPN. “That was one of the harder managerial decisions I’ve had to make. After a lot of review and thoughts, we came to that conclusion.”